


If it feels like paradise

by promisin



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arson, Car Accidents, Ensemble Cast, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:08:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23383552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/promisin/pseuds/promisin
Summary: Five times Galo responds to Lio's emergencies, and one time Lio helps Galo.It's the most innocuous things that change lives, even though it may not be obvious until later. For Galo, it's a standard dispatch for a kitchen fire, late in the evening after a long shift.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 15
Kudos: 198





	If it feels like paradise

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to another self indulgent au, this time in a format I've been wanting to write for a while. Please note the tags, as there may be some upsetting or triggering content, but if you've seen them and want to go ahead, please enjoy ♥️
> 
> Big thanks to dearest Quill, who had patiently listened to my rambling as I wrote this and provided input to parts I was less sure about.

i.

It's the most innocuous things that change lives, even though it may not be obvious until later. For Galo, it's a standard dispatch for a kitchen fire, late in the evening after a long shift. The house they arrive at is large in a fairly well to do area, so Galo is surprised that it is a young man who answers the door. 

Aina is going through the first responder steps with him, meaning that Galo doesn't really have a reason to be lingering, but he's _really_ pretty with blonde hair (that is admittedly looking a little singed and uneven), and willowy limbs that make him look doll-like. 

Lucia gives him a hard shove, snapping him out of staring before he's caught, and he faces the kitchen proper. Ignis has actually been assessing the situation and briefs them with a disapproving look at Galo, which he shrugs off. It's not like he wasted time, and besides, the fire is relatively small and he's handled tons of these already even as a rookie. 

So what if he shows off a little? Galo knows he's hot, though it may not be obvious underneath the bulky uniform (that he's not allowed to take off under any circumstances while on site). He flexes, just for good measure, while getting on with his job and putting out the fire, because he's a good boy and the fire might not be a big problem now but there's not much time until it is. 

Lucia hands him her kitchen-fire-b-gone prototype extinguisher, which is needlessly large and complicated looking but easy enough for Galo to operate, and he makes sure he looks cool using it. The hose sprays some strange chemical mixture that douses the flames with relative ease, and though no one will be cooking in it soon, most of the kitchen is intact. 

He gives Lucia a high five as they exit, and he can't resist looking back at the owner of the house, who looks shaken and tired, but relieved. They make eye contact, long enough for Galo to sear the violet colour of his eyes into his memory, along with the shape of the small smile he offers.

It's after they've left when Aina rounds on him. 

"What did you think you were doing?" She stabs a finger at his chest, to which Galo can only shrug. 

"Nothing!" Galo protests. "We put out the fire, the guy is fine, why are you so mad?" 

"You, flirting on the job again! You're impossible." Aina bites, and Galo hears Lucia giggle from behind them. 

"Uh oh, Galo's in trouble!" 

"You're in trouble too, encouraging him like that." Aina pulls Galo down to point an accusing finger at Lucia, too. 

"What? I didn't do anything." Lucia drawls, unwrapping a lollipop and popping it into her mouth. "I just wanted to test out the new extinguisher."

"We have testing facilities for that, your _lab_ is for that. There was no need to risk it going wrong because Galo wanted to show off he can lift." Aina throws her arms up into the air, but she seems done with her rant now. Galo just hopes that he looks sufficiently scolded and keeps his head down while her glare fades. 

"Sorry Aina." He says, even though he's not sure what he's sorry for. It's not like he doesn't take saving lives seriously--he does, and he loves it--but he also likes to have fun.

ii.

The next week, they're dispatched with Aina going ' _you can't be serious'_ at Ignis, who just tells her to get into the truck. Remi is interested, because he's a dirty gossip, and the two of them spend the journey whispering to themselves. 

Galo understands when they arrive what may have caused Aina's reaction. 

He recognises the house as soon as he steps out. It's the same one as Angel Boy, as he's taken to calling him even though Aina did actually get a name, at the same time as their dispatch last week. Weird. His hair is shorter than Galo remembers, and he seems weirdly self-conscious about it, touching with his fingertips the ends as he speaks.

This time, it's apparently a microwave malfunction, and Galo is apparently the only one who isn't suspicious. It's Remi with him instead of Lucia, so there's no fun new gadget to try out, and even worse, Remi is extremely efficient at putting out electrical fires so this operation will be short. 

"Are you okay?" He hears Aina ask Angel Boy, and Angel nods. He's less shaken this time around, which Galo is glad for. Less to worry about that way. 

Remi catches him earwigging and raises an eyebrow, to which Galo shrugs and hands him the fire extinguisher. He doesn't learn a whole lot about the boy, other than the fact that his name is Lio ( _Lio_. Even his name sounds good) and that he was trying to microwave himself dinner but left a metal fork in the bowl. 

He catches Lio looking over at him a few times, and he tries to smile when they make eye contact. One time, when Aina is not paying attention, Galo lifts the spare fire extinguisher like a weight to show off, and Lio laughs at him. He drops it when Aina looks back, confused, which quickly turns into a glare at Galo. 

"Ahem." Aina clears her throat and crosses her arms.

"The microwave did not make it but the fire was rather minor. You should count yourself very lucky you aren't hurt." Remi explains. "The walls were not damaged, but I'd probably get them checked anyway." 

"Thank you all very much." Lio says, bowing his head. 

"You're very welcome!" Galo grins with a thumbs up, while Aina drags him out by the collar. 

iii.

Aina tells Lucia what happened the next day. Unfortunately, Galo isn't in until later so he misses his chance to defend his honour and Lucia's cackles follow him for the rest of the week. 

It comes to a head when Galo comes into work on a bright Sunday morning and is immediately jumped on by Remi who has circles under his eyes indicative of the night shift. That in itself isn't very unusual: Galo often does stuff that gets him in trouble with Remi all the time, for example, Galo thinks that coffee is overrated and often doesn't turn the machine on for the morning shift if he's on late, and Remi lives off the stuff and has a few shifts after Galo. 

"Your idiot _fan_ pulled the same shit _again_ last night." Remi grits out, his glasses glinting dangerously. "He's currently at the police station for arson." 

"My what?" Galo asks, genuinely confused. He has tons of fans, such things happen when you're good looking and also a good citizen who's been in the paper a few times for saving children from burning buildings. 

"The idiot that lives at 5 Fennel Road." Remi says, and it takes Galo a few seconds to recognise the name.

"Oh! Lio? He had another accident?" 

"Sure. Accident." Remi straightens up with a sigh. "Are you being this obtuse on purpose?" 

"No, he's just struggling with moving out on his own the first time!" Galo argues, feeling the need to defend Lio even though he barely knows the man. "He said so." 

"Of course, which is why he overfilled a pot of oil and it happened to set aflame while he wasn't watching, and he's miraculously unharmed again."

"That's not evidence--!!"

"Right." Remi looks down at Galo, which is impressive because Galo is taller than he is.

"Are we talking about Galo's fan?" Lucia rolls past on some kind of gas powered skateboard that definitely breaks workplace health and safety regulations. 

"He's not my fan!" Galo reacts defensively, but rethinks his outburst; "Is he?" 

"My boy, he's set his kitchen on fire at least twice for you." She says, waving her green lollipop in the air. "Possibly three, but we can't rule out the possibility the first was an accident which caused the other two, or if he knew of you beforehand."

"People won't set their own kitchens on fire on _purpose_!" Galo says, genuinely confused at the concept of it. Besides, Lio looks so angelic, he could possibly do no harm, much less commit arson, but he keeps that last part to himself. 

"We all think he did." Lucia sticks the lollipop back in her mouth and rolls off, after which Remi gives him a _look_ and stomps off to the lockers. 

After his shift, which is a school visit where he and Aina teach kids about fire safety, emphasising more than they usually would about the dangers in the kitchen for some reason, Aina also confronts him about Lio.

"I'm not saying it's your fault," she says gently, "But maybe chill out on the flexing from now on."

"Are you saying I'm responsible?" Galo asks, incredulous. Aina backpedals quickly with frantic head and hand shaking.

"No, no! Of course not. You didn't tell him to do what he did."

"Which were accidents." Galo frowns, frankly a little tired of this topic.

"Right. Accidents." Aina rolls her eyes, and clears her throat when she catches Galo's narrowed gaze at her. "Whatever. Just, be careful okay?" 

"I'm always careful!" Galo says, still not really understanding what this conversation is about. Aina seems to come to this conclusion, too, or give up on whatever she had in mind. 

She sighs, bids her goodbyes, and walks off in the direction of her apartment. 

Galo, on the other hand, has one last stop before going home himself: the police station. He's fairly familiar with the reception there, he's visited Captain Foresight enough times for them to recognise him and make idle conversation until he asks to see Lio.

He's not technically allowed to see Lio because of paperwork reasons that go over his head, but the officers on duty like Galo and let him have a few minutes. 

Lio is surprised when he walks out and sees Galo on the other side of the glass, and the embarrassed smile that he gives is something Galo will treasure forever. 

"Hello Lio!" He says, once they're settled down opposite each other.

"Hello, Galo." 

"You remembered my name!" Galo gasps, a warm feeling swirling in his stomach.

"Of course. You've saved my kitchen more than once after all." Lio smiles again, too soft for Galo to handle.

"That's right! Although, uh, the station thinks you're setting these fires on purpose." Galo says, cutting straight to the chase, which seems to startle Lio.

"Right… they might be right about that. I did want to see you again." He looks away, sheepish. Galo is disappointed that his team is right about the motivation.

"Now you're in jail! That wasn't very smart, was it?" Galo chides. "Wasting emergency service time is a crime, too." 

"Yes. I'm sorry." Lio bows his head, and it sounds like he'd already been given the lecture. Probably by someone much scarier than Galo; Ignis was on duty last night, after all. 

"How long are you in for?"

"Not long, actually. My bail is getting paid later today." Lio says, twiddling his thumbs as if it is shameful to be able to afford it. It's not that much of a surprise, considering the neighborhood Lio lives in.

"Good! You can visit us at the station next time, okay? No more fires." Galo grins, giving him a thumbs up. 

Lio's eyes widen as he takes in the offer, and he matches the grin with equal enthusiasm. "Sure!"

iv.

It's a fairly quiet morning when Lucia's scream rings throughout the station. It's not a blood curdling scream of terror, more in the neighborhood of an evil plan coming together. 

"Galo, Galo!" She cackles, and Galo puts down his game to go see what the fuss is about. Lucia's noises are fairly common, so he isn't particularly worried about her. Maybe for himself, if she's finished her latest cool-but-definitely-dangerous project and wants him to try it out. 

"What is it?" He calls out when he enters the front room, and sees Lio with a colourfully wrapped package in his hands. "Oh!" He says intelligently. 

Lucia is still laughing around her lollipop, shoulders shaking and Galo realises belatedly that she's got her phone out to record the entire thing. 

"Hello." Lio greets with a disarming smile. "I brought over some apology biscuits."

"Gimmie!!" Lucia puts her phone away at lightning speed as soon as food is mentioned, and shamelessly makes grabby hands at the package. Lio looks between her and Galo, an eyebrow raised, but surrenders the snacks.

"Thank you." Galo says for her, and walks up to take one himself. They're not what he expected; crispy, crumbly yellow things that are light and sweet, and melts in his mouth when he takes a bite. 

"Oh my god." Lucia says from the side, her mouth full. Lio gives her the side-eye when she does, but politely doesn't say anything. The scandalised expression does make Galo laugh, though when he does, he sprays crumbs. 

"They're shortbread biscuits." Lio explains, looking a little pained. Galo feels a little bad about the mess, but they're really good. 

"These are the best cookies ever." Galo says, finishing his and chewing properly before speaking. 

"I hope there's enough for all of you." Lio smiles at the compliment, and Galo almost forgets that this man set his own house on fire on purpose. Granted, no one got hurt, but he's not as angelic as he looks, as disarming as his smile is. 

"Oh, yeah, Lucia, don't eat all of them." Galo chides, though he's still eyeing the package like he wants more. The silence is telling as both Lucia and Galo consider sharing the treats.

"It's fine, I can bring more." Lio says, eventually. "They're not hard to make." 

"That would be _awesome_!" Galo whoops, and both he and Lucia grab another cookie each. 

"I should probably get going; I've got a few more things to do." Lio waves and turns to leave, but as he does Galo suddenly remembers something he's been meaning to say.

"Oh! By the way, I like your new haircut!" He yells, and does his best to ignore Lucia's choke-laugh from beside him but he can feel his cheeks flushing from embarrassment. 

Lio turns back to face him, face a matching red and hair fluffing up cat-like. "Ah, thanks." He stutters, pushing a strand behind his ear. "It's a little hard to get used to, but I guess this is the best I could have hoped for after it was burned." 

"Well, it looks good!" Galo says way too loudly, and then waves. "Anyway, have a nice day!" 

"You too." Lio bows and actually leaves this time. Galo watches his back disappear through the door, a little forlornly.

Lucia is still laughing, slapping her hand on the tabletop. 

"Oh my god, Galo," she wheezes, "How long have you been holding that one in?"

"W-well it was weird when I first noticed the second time we went to his house, and then I never really got the chance, and I didn't want to forget!" Galo explains quickly, hoping that's enough, but judging by Lucia's continued laughter, it doesn't work. All he can do is sit and pout as Lucia gets it out of her system. 

"You're such a useless gay." She says, once she's able to breathe again. 

"Like you're one to talk." Galo jabs back, but his retort is empty. He has no idea on the status of Lucia's love life, though she must barely have one based on how much time she spends in her lab. 

Lio starts coming regularly, after that. Normally once a week, and always when Galo is working. The rest of the squad start warming up to him, too, despite the rocky beginning. Not many can resist the delicious baked goods he brings, and even Aina has stopped glaring at him whenever he arrives on his sleek black motorcycle. 

Galo did ask Aina why she seemed so bothered by Lio, but she brushed it off stating that she had heard some things from her sister about Lio that makes her wary, but Lio is kind and caring, despite the danger that is present just beneath the surface; flashes that Galo's only seen when Lio's eyes turn hard and steely at a joke he doesn't like, or when he accidentally flashes the knife strapped to his waist as he is picked up.

Not that it bothers Galo. Lio is still Lio, even if he could probably take Varys on in hand-to-hand combat (no one expected him to get as far as he did in the impromptu arm wrestling tournament) and _almost_ keep up with Lucia when she starts getting excited about something sciencey while Galo drifts off. 

"You know," Remi says, two hours deep into the night shift. "Lio's surprisingly good at baking as someone who supposedly didn't know how to operate basic kitchen equipment."

"Why have you got to keep bringing that up." Galo frowns, leaning his chair on its back two legs. 

"Stop that, Galo." Ignis says from across the room, even though he isn't part of this conversation. Galo pouts and stops rocking on the chair, and sticks out his tongue at Remi who's looking at him with a smug smile. 

"Ugh." He groans, face planting onto the table. Galo hates having to share night shifts with just Remi and Ignis. They're so boring. 

Luckily, Galo is saved from boredom by the phone ringing, the station phone rather than the emergency phone. 

"Good evening, Promepolis City Centre Fire Department." Ignis says into the phone, and there's a brief pause before he talks again. "Well, we can help with that." 

Galo strains his ears to try and hear what the person on the other side of the line is saying, but it's to no avail. Remi is giving him a judgemental look, but Galo can tell that he's interested too. 

"Galo." Ignis says, as he's putting the phone down. "We've got some animal troubles, could you go over and have a look?" 

"Yes!" Galo yells, too loud for what time it is. He loves animal rescues.

"Wait, why Galo?" Remi asks, frowning. 

"Because it's at 5 Fennel Road." Ignis explains, and it all makes sense. "There's a small animal stuck in a gutter pipe." 

"Oh, great, have fun with your boyfriend." Remi rolls his eyes, and goes back to reading his pretentious book. 

"Wh, he's not my boyfriend!" Galo splutters, waving his arms in an X-shape to emphasise his point. 

"Sure. I don't see why he didn't just call you directly." Remi replies without taking his eyes off the page.

"B-because he doesn't have my number! And I don't have his! Because we're not dating!" He continues, although making a mental note to ask for it at the next opportunity.

"Galo, Remi, please." Ignis says, tiredly, rubbing at the pinch of his eyebrows. "Just go deal with it." 

"Sorry, cap." Galo says, and glares daggers at Remi. He gets up, grabs his jacket, and walks up to Ignis innocently.

"No, you can't take the truck." Ignis says before Galo can even open his mouth. 

"How did you _know_?" Galo asks, incredulous. 

"Because I know you." Ignis sighs, and makes a shooing motion with his hands. 

"Okay fine." Galo hangs his head in defeat and goes to pick up his bike textiles and helmet to make the trip, hoping they won't need a ladder. 

Lio is waiting outside when Galo arrives, looking worriedly at the side of his house with a ladder in one hand. 

He lights up when Galo pulls into the drive, trotting up to the front and waving at him with his spare hand while Galo pulls his helmet off and places it on the ground near the bike, on top of his gloves. "Galo! Sorry to call you out so late." 

"It's okay! Something stuck?" Galo reaches for the ladder, but Lio shakes his head and keeps hold of it, casually showing off how strong he is by carrying the four foot ladder as if it were just a stick.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what it is, just hearing a lot of squeaking and scrambling." Lio worries, leading him to the side of the house where the guttering pipe leads down from the roof. True to his word, there's a frantic squeaking noise coming from the join, where it bends into the outpipe. 

"Aw, poor thing." Galo says. "Do you want to put the ladder on the side then, and we can see who's causing a fuss?" 

"Of course. Do you want my phone torch?" Lio leans the ladder against the wall, making sure it's stable first before stepping aside for Galo.

"Nah, it's okay, I got my own." Galo pulls his phone out of his pocket and turns the torch on before climbing up. Lio keeps a hand on the ladder, to make sure it doesn't fall, something Galo is thankful of as it creaks with each step. 

From the top, Galo can tell that the ladder isn't _quite_ tall enough for Lio to reach the gutter with, and he hopes that the man didn't try without anyone to watch out for him. But for Galo, a generously tall guy, he has a pretty good view of the little baby bat that's struggling to get out. 

"It's a bat!" He calls down to Lio, who nods. 

"Do you want this towel to get it down with?" Lio asks, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a small flannel. 

"Sure." Galo takes a few steps down and accepts it, then moves back up to scoop the little bat out, trying not to wobble too much as the critter senses danger and struggles against his hands. "Easy buddy, I'm here to help ya." 

Once the bat is successfully burritoed, he climbs down and shows him to Lio, who coos at it. 

"Poor baby." He looks like he wants to pet it, but thinks better of that. "He looks okay, though. Uninjured."

"I know! Must've been scary, huh? You were making a huge fuss." Galo says, and unwraps the bat from its cocoon. "Let's get you back on the tree so you can find your momma." 

The bat squeaks, as if understanding, although more likely just relieved to be no longer swaddled, and lets Galo pick them up and hook their tiny claws onto the tree by Lio's house. It's the only one on the yard, so it's presumably where their family is. 

"Thank you for coming." Lio says, smiling that disarming smile that makes Galo feel some kind of way he can't put his finger on. 

"It's fine!" Galo grins, "Although, actually, do you wanna swap numbers so you can call me directly next time, instead of going through Ignis?" 

"Oh, sure." Lio fiddles with his phone, turning the torch off and handing it to Galo. The background is a picture of a black cat with huge turquoise eyes and an expression that looks like a frown. It makes Galo smile as he taps his phone number in, and leaves himself a missed call. 

"There!" He declares, handing Lio his phone back. "I should probably get back to the station, but now you can text me." 

"Great! Are you sure you don't want to stay for a cup of tea and biscuits or something? You did me a favour coming over this late." Lio offers as they walk back to the front of the house. Galo hums, turning the idea over in his head; on one hand, he's still technically on the clock and should be heading back if they're done, but similarly they managed the rescue fairly quickly and who is he to turn down the offer of baked goods. 

"Okay, fine, you had me at the biscuits." Galo says, pretending to be put upon and earning a giggle from Lio (exactly as planned). 

This isn't the first time he's been in Lio's house, of course, but this time he's not here to put out a fire, and that means he gets to look around as they go towards the living area. The walls are adorned with a few pictures of Lio and his friends at various community projects that Galo recognises from the city, a garden here and a clubhouse there. 

The door he recognises as the kitchen is open, though Galo can't tell the state of it other than blackened countertops. 

"Sorry for the mess." Lio says, bustling around the pristine living room and sitting Galo down on the sofa. "I'll be right back." 

He disappears into the kitchen and Galo can ask 'what mess?' and he's left to look around the sparsely furnished room. The sofas are fabric covered and soft, and the walls are a tasteful shade of blue to compliment the pale wood furniture. It almost looks like something out of a magazine, though it doesn't look very lived in. 

It also doesn't match Lio's personality very much, Galo thinks with a frown. Perhaps this matches what he thought Lio would be like, before he'd gotten to know his short temper and sharp tongue (not that any of that was directed at Galo, but to witness it at Remi who had just been teasing him about being an idiot makes him flustered for some reason), or his penchant for leather, or the fact that he drives around on a black motorcycle that looks like it was forged from the flames of hell. 

"Here." Lio settles a tray with two cups and a plate of cookies onto the coffee table in front of him. "The tea is just a herbal tisane, I didn't think you'd want caffeine at eleven." 

Galo, who has never had a herbal whatsit in his life, eagerly takes a sip, and… yeah, that tastes weird. Not bad weird, but a confusing flavour for sure. There's lemon maybe in there? He must be pulling a face, because Lio is laughing at him.

"Sorry!" He says, quickly. "I've never had tea like this before." 

"It's okay, I didn't think so. I can get you some water if you prefer." 

"No, no, it's fine. It's good!" Galo takes a big gulp to prove his point.

"Alright then." Lio says, and pushes the plate of cookies towards him. "You liked the chocolate chip ones I made last week, so I was testing out a variant of it." 

"Variant?" Galo takes one, sniffing it before taking a bite. It's a little saltier than the ones from last week, but after a few bites there seems to be a bit of a kick to them. "Are they supposed to be spicy?" 

"Yes, actually. Chilli and chocolate-chip. Do you like them?" Lio explains, nursing his own cup of tea. 

"They're _delicious_." Galo says, taking another. "I'm glad you didn't bring these in else I wouldn't be able to share them." 

"Yes, well, I tend to quadruple the recipes when I bake things for you guys." Lio sighs. "You all have voids for stomachs." 

"We need the energy for saving people!" 

"Of course, of course. Well, I can wrap these up for you if you want the rest; I can always make more myself." 

"Really? Awesome, thank you." Galo's never been happier to hear anything in his life. Well, maybe not his life, but it's certainly the best thing he's heard today. 

They chat idly until their cups are empty, and Galo truly does have to go. It feels bad, leaving Lio in his lonely home, but Galo promises to come taste test later when they both have some time free, and Lio waves at him from his porch when he drives off, so all in all it was a pretty good night.

v.

In spring, the nights start much earlier and darkness has enveloped the city by four. It's also Thursday, meaning Lio day, and Galo is excitedly bouncing around waiting to see what he'll bring. Aina is trying to get him to sit still, because she's tired and watching him spend so much energy is allegedly making her _more_ tired. Galo just thinks she's seeing it's dark out and wanting to go home. 

He checks his phone one more time, but Lio's ' _running a little late but I'm on my way_ ✌️' text is still the latest thing he's sent, even though he's normally here by now. Well, he did say he's running late, and the new community centre that's being built is taking up a lot of his time, so Galo understands. 

They are all called to respond to a highway accident, and Galo's heart sinks just a little. He sends Lio a text, ' _there's been an emergency, we're all out_ ' and follows the rest of his team.

"You okay, rookie?' Ignis catches his eye as they're setting off.

Galo tries to laugh it off, desperately ignoring the pit that's opening up in his stomach. "Of course, cap! This isn't my first rodeo."

Ignis nods, and gets into the driver's seat, while the rest of them file into the back. It's quiet for once, from Galo's nerves and Aina sending him worried glances, and even Lucia is focused on her phone rather than stirring up conversation. 

The sun has entirely set by the time they arrive, only the flashing lights of emergency vehicles and some cars lucky enough not to have their lights crushed illuminate the scene. Since their squad is the first on the scene, their first responsibility is to find the injured and assess their needs, pull them out of debris if necessary. 

"Ten vehicles." Ignis says, having already received information from the emergency line. "One bike, nine cars. Not sure how many passengers in each." 

"Yes sir." They reply, though Galo is for once the quieter one. He's itching to go, eyes roaming over wreckage, but Aina puts her hand on his shoulder before he can. 

"Galo…" she starts, face serious. "It's okay if you want to sit this one out. Squad 2 and 4 are on their way." 

"No!" Galo tears his shoulder away, offended at the idea. "Even if, I mean, I've still got a job to do right?" 

"Right." She says, and Galo walks off, grateful at least that she didn't say what's on everyone's mind. For now, he can still pretend that he's not personally invested. 

There's a lot of people around already, well meaning citizens that stopped their cars to help or passengers of the cars involved that are well enough to move around themselves. Galo tries to direct the injured to the truck where Remi and Varys are issuing first aid, but his attention is on finding the motorcyclist, as they are likely to need the most urgent care. He gives each person he passes over a mental apology, and a promise to return as soon as he can.

He gets to the front of the scene where he sees a crumpled black motorcycle, mashed into the barrier at the edge of the road, and he stops breathing. Lots of people have black bikes, Galo tells himself. Especially since it's so mangled it's hard to tell what exact model it is; it looks like it was hit side-on by a red people-carrier, which looks mostly fine from the front. The back is more wrecked from where the car behind made impact. A woman is huddled in front of the car, with someone else trying to reassure her, and Galo suspects that she's in shock but otherwise uninjured. 

He presses on. 

The biker must have been thrown off because there's nothing in the wreckage, something he's both glad for and not. Glad that he doesn't have to pull someone out from twisted metal, and not because he's still not able to settle his own fears. It's selfish, maybe, to want to assure himself when there's so much suffering around him, but Galo's mind is one track and he's struggling to focus on anything that isn't… isn't hoping desperately that it's not Lio somewhere alone in the dark, hurting but unable to call for help because his lungs aren't working and the only thing coming out between his lips is blood.

He shakes his head. Thinking like that isn't helping anybody, not himself, not Lio, and certainly not the missing biker. 

Galo spies a familiar form with his torch as he shines it into the bank, not too far from the barrier that the accident tore through. He pulls out his phone, telling Aina where he is as he jogs over. 

It's Lio. There's no mistaking the jacket he remembers taking the first time they invited Lio into the station properly and hanging up in his own locker, or the blonde hair matted with blood. It looks like he was conscious enough to take his helmet off and crawl a little closer to the road, though he's not moving now, the only tell being the flattened grass streaked red behind him. 

_Focus_. Pretend it's just a faceless civilian. Galo checks that he's breathing, and for a pulse, careful not to move him around too much in case of causing further injury. The idiot had done enough of that by trying to move before passing out. Both are present, though weak and uneven. 

Galo pulls out his scissors and starts cutting away the jacket, as fond as he knows Lio is of it, he doesn't want anything restricting breathing and the jacket is tight. When that is done, he tries squeezing Lio's hand gently, to see if he can get a reaction.

"Hey, buddy, you there?" He asks, and Lio's eyes open, unfocused and confused. He turns his torch to Lio's pupils, noting their uneven size, and moves on to check for broken bones. 

Lio gurgles, red leaking out of the corner of his mouth and Galo swallows, forcing himself to keep going. "Alright, Lio, do you know who I am?" He asks while he works. 

"G'lo." 

"Good. And where are we?" He asks, holding Lio's head as he tries to swivel it to see what's going on. "No, c'mon, answer the questions please." 

Lio makes confused noise and coughs instead of answering, closing his eyes again. Galo takes a breath. _Focus_. He needs you. 

"Galo! Oh my god." Aina's voice comes from behind, and Galo could cry in relief. She's got a large first aid kit with her and Galo lists what he's found while she fastens the neck brace on Lio. 

"He was awake briefly." Galo babbles, having finished his list. Lio has a red card attached to his body, and they've done all they can until the ambulances arrive. 

"I need to get back to assessing. I'm sorry Galo." Aina says, packing up the few supplies she had out. When Galo moves to get up too, she puts a hand out to prevent him getting up. "You can stay."

"But--" 

"No, I get it. You're compromised, Ignis has already given the go ahead for you to go with Lio when the ambulance arrives." Aina says, firmly. 

"Okay." Galo is torn, wanting to help, but at the same time, terrified that if he left Lio, he'd stop breathing. "Okay." He says again, with another deep breath. 

"Good. Let us know how he is, okay?" Aina smiles, eyes sad, and disappears back into the wreckage. 

Time stretches too long before the paramedics arrive, each second a laboured breath. Galo recites what he's told Aina already to the paramedics, and they move Lio to the ambulance after thanking him for his hard work. He doesn't want to let go of his hand, but knows he has to. 

Once he's out of the dark and into the stark white light of the ambulance, Galo feels himself detach from his head, like he's suddenly watching himself in the ambulance, physically there but all he can see is his parents, the fire, the paramedics trying to calm him down as he screams for his mother and father. 

It's stupid, he's been in ambulances since the incident in his childhood where he lost his parents, but never with someone who he cared about, and the similarities are making his head spin. The lights are still too-bright, sounds too-loud and road too-bumpy, with people checking machines and trying to work while he just… Sits. 

One of the men working offers him a drink, a small carton of orange juice, saying something at him that Galo doesn't quite catch, but he accepts the drink anyway and pokes the straw in automatically even though he doesn't feel like taking a sip.

All of his friends are busy, because they're all at the same accident site he was. Still, he scrolls through their contacts on his phone, thumb hovering over the faces that smile back at him. He's got half a mind to text Kray and tell him what's happened, but there's been a distance between the two of them ever since he started his job at the station, and Galo doesn't feel like Kray would appreciate the intrusion. 

Instead, he puts his phone back in his pocket and takes deep breaths, controlling his breathing until it's even and he starts to feel his hands again. There's nothing more he can do. 

Galo is finally allowed in to see Lio halfway through the morning of the following day. He'd been in surgery for the hours before that, and Galo hasn't slept. Aina was on the phone to him briefly, and then Lucia, taking it in turns to keep him company and keep him sane as he paces the same seats in the hospital's ER waiting room. 

"He might not be completely lucid." The nurse warns him, but Galo doesn't mind. 

"Lio!" He says, taking in the sight of Lio, pale and completely drowning in the white of the hospital sheets. The only colour is the bruises that cover half his face, painting a trail down into the gown's pristine neckline. He's laying on his back, hair nearly at either side of his head and connected to various machines that are monitoring his vitals. With the casts and bandages on his body and head, he's unable to turn around when his name is called, but his eyes light up all the same when Galo steps into view. 

"Whoo'r yoou? Who'sis?" He slurs, question directed at Galo and then at the nurse.

"I'm your favourite firefighter." Galo answers, starting to tear up despite his attempt to smile. "You're okay." He says, coming to sit by the bedside. "He is okay, right?" He asks the nurse, just in case.

"He's fine, just a little medicated." The ever-patient nurse says. 

"Y'are?" Lio frowns cutely, face scrunching up. "Are y'seein dis?" He asks the nurse as well, as if not believing Galo is real. "'m dreamin."

"I promise you I exist." Galo laughs, taking one of Lio's hands into his own. "See?"

"Nnooo, yer too hot." Lio complains, making Galo drop his hand, but Lio makes another displeased whine until Galo picks the hand up again. "Like, too seexy hot." 

"Oh." Galo blushes, looking over to the nurse who's pretending to check Lio's papers but her shoulders are shaking with laughter. 

"Don goo," Lio says, getting quieter and hacking. "Hhh…"

"Okay, maybe no more talking now." Galo says, putting a finger over Lio's mouth. Lio grumbles softly, and then he's gone back to sleep.

The nurse finishes up what she's doing, and leaves the room so it's just Galo alone. Lio's soft breathing is a comfort to him, and before he knows it he's dozed off himself. 

Lucia comes with Galo to visit Lio after work the next day, being Lio's second biggest fan after Galo in the station because she's easily bribed by sweet things and has questionable morals regarding arson, and the law, in general. 

When they arrive, there are two others already in the room with Lio: a tall slim man with long black hair, and a shorter one with a puff of red hair. They're in leathers, reminiscent of Lio's wardrobe, and speaking loudly. Galo is immediately defensive because they _look_ like delinquents, but then he sees the flowers on the side and a teddy bear next to Lio's head, and eases up. 

"Yo! This the infamous Galo Thymos?" The redhead asks, waving at them. 

"The one and only!" Galo replies, matching his energy. "And you are?"

"Aw man, does boss not talk about us?"

"Shut up, please." Comes Lio's voice from where he's laid on the bed. He's still pale and looking worse for wear, but his eyes are clear and sharp, more what Galo is used to. "The loud one's Gueira, other one is Meis. They're my friends."

"Nice to meet you at last." Meis says, looking Galo up and down, gaze scrutinising.

"Yeah, good to see you in person!" The redhead, Gueira, slaps Galo on the shoulder. "Who's this one then?" 

"Lucia." Lucia says, simply. "It's good to see you're still with us, Lio."

"Thanks." 

It turns out Gueira and Galo get along like a house on fire, to Lio's despair, and Lucia is the chaos whisperer who does nothing but egg them both on. It ends up being Lio and Meis chatting quietly until Lio is too tired to stay awake while the other three provide entertainment via a stupid game of would-you-rather that involves giant snakes that taste like chocolate and horse-ducks to name a few. 

Galo visits Lio regularly. On one occasion, it's late in the evening, just before visitation hours are over and the sun has already descended, painting the sky a brilliant red. The days are getting longer, at last, and they watch the sky outside shifting colours in lieu of conversation. 

"Hey, Lio." Galo says, quietly.

"Hm?" Lio turns to face Galo; his neck brace has come off recently, and he's enjoying being able to sit up and look around himself. 

"I was really scared when I found you, you know?" Galo admits, reaching for Lio's hand on the bed and giving it a squeeze. "I was hoping that you'd just gotten caught in the traffic caused by the accident."

"Sorry." Lio squeezes back, expression softening. The lighting makes his eyes look more red than violet, making his gaze look sadder than it is.

"'s not your fault someone tried to overtake you and misjudged the distance." Galo says, bitterly. He's still not quite over hearing what the woman had to say when questioned over the incident, and it shows. 

"No, but I worried you." Lio lets go of his hand to touch Galo's face, tilting it up to face him. "And I'm sorry that I'd made you cry." 

"I don't want you to apologise." Galo frowns, feeling like Lio is missing the point. "That's not what I meant. I mean, I care about you, a lot, even though you're a firebug who damaged his own property to get my attention, and we've only really known each other for half a year."

"That's… true, but it seemed like a good idea at the time." Lio says, cheeks colouring in embarrassment. "And I'd do it again, for you."

"Arson is a crime." Galo says, firmly. "And you know, I'm fairly sure we could have gotten to know each other just as well if you'd started visiting the station earlier." 

"Where's the fun in that?" Lio pouts, but when Galo prods him in the ribs, he concedes. "Okay, ow, okay, you know I'm not fully healed yet you bastard. No more fires. I thought we'd already agreed to that, anyway." 

"Good." Galo nods, and then suddenly remembers where he was even going with the conversation. "Wait, no, we've gone off topic again. I mean, I already said the 'I care about you' part…"

"Get on with it, you oaf." Lio teases, a knowing smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

"Why does it feel like I'm being led somewhere." Galo frowns, but Lio keeps his mouth shut. "Fine. I like you, a lot, okay?" 

"I like you too. A lot." Lio grins, and leans in to catch Galo's lips, sealing their first kiss. 

& i.

"Did you put sugar in this?" 

"No, I thought the chocolate would make it sweet…?" 

"Galo, where is the chocolate in this?"

Galo whines, shrugging his shoulders. "On top??" He tries as Lio looks at the cookie in disbelief. 

"I can't believe you're so bad at this. Your dinners are amazing." Lio gripes, putting the cookie down and wheeling himself over to the counter where Galo is curled over the rest of the cookies. His wheelchair means he can't quite see the top of it, but he can see enough to grab the recipe that Galo is trying to follow. 

"I don't know either. Please help." Galo gets into his knees and puts his head into Lio's lap, fake-sobbing for sympathy as Lio combs his fingers through the strands of blue hair. 

"Do you want to try again now that I'm here?" Lio asks, sighing and scrunching up the useless scribbles of Galo attempting to copy a recipe by hand off the internet, instead of using a printer or opening it up on his phone like anybody else. 

"Yes please." Galo says, pathetically. He makes no move to get up, though, and Lio rolls his eyes as he pets Galo's head some more until he's satisfied. 

"Come on then." He pushes Galo off his lap with a fond smile and pulls up some of his own recipes on his phone. "What did you want to make?" 

  
  



End file.
